Sirius Black: Erroneous Heir
by SolidSnake'sLover
Summary: The Black family had a reputation to uphold. They gave birth to a son with the expectation that he would carry on the proud family name, but Sirius couldn't be who they wanted him to be. He couldn't help being different. He only craved the love of his mother, but maybe he didn't deserve to be loved.


A chilly morning shrouded in mist preceded the arrival of the first son of Orion and Walburga Black. It was on the 3rd November that Walburga gave birth to the reason for her marriage.

She lay in her bed, which was covered in fine green silk, and was one of many high-priced gifts they had received in gratitude for their conception. Kreacher the house elf held her newborn. Her midwife had already cleaned up the mess from childbirth.

"Let me see him, Kreacher," she said.

Kreacher brought to her the child.

Walburga nodded in approval. "He will make a fine addition to the blood line."

It had already been decided that the boy would be named Sirius. He would be the third firstborn of his name to grace the family tree. He had the same physical traits as most of his ancestors. His hair was black, and he had quite a lot of it for a newborn, and he had pale grey eyes which searched his mother in a way that unsettled her. He did not cry upon birth.

She waved one hand, intertwined with jewel-encrusted rings, to the door. "Take him to see his father," she said, "so that he may send word to the family."

"Yes, Mistress," croaked Kreacher. Carefully he bowed to her, then exited with Sirius.

Kreacher found Orion in the library, sitting at his desk and surrounded by several rolls of parchment. He was writing quickly, but as always, his handwriting was careful and elaborate. He did not look up as the elf entered.

"Forgive Kreacher for the interruption, Master," he said, "but Master's son has been born." He held up baby Sirius.

"Excellent news," Orion said. He rolled up one sheaf of parchment and handed it to Kreacher. "Take this to Aeneas and have him fly it to Cygnus'. They will be glad to hear that we have an heir at last."

"Yes, Master," Kreacher bowed again. "What does Master want Kreacher to do with the boy?"

Orion looked up from his paperwork at last. He gave his son an appraising look. "The larger room on the top floor shall be his. The midwife should have prepared it by now."

Kreacher gave one last bow before leaving the room. He carried the child up the steps to the fourth floor, pausing on the stairway between the first and second to cast a reverent gaze upon the severed elf heads mounted on the wall.

At the top floor on his left was the larger room. A large bed in the middle of the room was dressed with green covers, peeled back enough that Kreacher could easily slide Sirius beneath them.

His hands now free of all except the scroll intended for Walburga's brother, Kreacher peered down at the boy.

Sirius looked even smaller in such a large bed. He gazed back at Kreacher and cooed. Kreacher grimaced. He was not impressed with, nor interested in children, but he too was pleased that the Black bloodline could now continue.

He left and shut the door, hastening to send the letter. Little Sirius was alone.

"Can he even do magic yet?" Bellatrix sneered from her place at the end of the dining room table. Her cousin, Sirius, was two years old. He was distastefully boring to her, although she was the only one who felt this way.

"Of course," her father said from his high-backed arm chair near the fireplace. "He's pureblood like you, he was born able to do magic." He turned back to the copy of the Daily Prophet that he was reading.

Bellatrix's sister, Andromeda, was keeping Sirius busy by shooting sparks from her wand. Sirius was laughing and clapping. "Again! Again!" he shouted. "More!" At nine years, Andromeda didn't have a large range of spells under her belt, but it was exciting to have someone interested in her abilities, even if that someone was an easily impressed toddler.

Sirius was in their charge while his mother took his baby brother to get fitted for robes. Regulus was five months old, and Sirius was thrilled that he would now have someone to play with when his cousins weren't around.

"Bella," he said, tugging her robes, "do magic!"

Bellatrix sighed. She was staying at 12 Grimmauld Place during Christmas break from her first year at Hogwarts. Showing off to a two year old was not high on her list of priorities. "If I must," she said. She eyed his fuzzy brown puffskein, named Minos, which was sleeping on the armrest of her father's chair.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she said, lazily levitating the creature. Sirius giggled and caught Minos as it floated back toward the ground. He held the puffskein close to his face and nuzzled it happily.

Bellatrix levitated Minos again, and, initially with disinterest, watched Sirius capture and hug it a second time. She felt a surge of anger at this affectionate display. "This creature is beneath you!" she said to him, narrowing her eyes. "It doesn't deserve such emotion! Relashio!" She spat, pointing her wand at the puffskein. Fiery sparks shot from her wand and Minos emitted a high-pitched scream as it caught fire and began to burn. It was still slowly landing from her third Levitation spell, to and fro, as though a leaf from a tree. By the time it landed it had burned out. It was now nothing more than an ashen lump, barely larger than a Snitch.

Sirius looked to her, struggling to comprehend what had just happened. His eyes were wet, though tears did not fall. He picked up the charred lump that was once his beloved pet and prodded it, as though hoping that despite the evident damage, it was still the same puffskein that it had been up until two minutes ago.

Cygnus lowered his paper, attention momentarily diverted from it at last. "You ought to dispose of that, Sirius," he said. "It's not going to do you any good to keep it now."

Sirius threw his dead pet on the ground and balled his hands into tiny fists, shaking, with his face scrunched up in anger at Bellatrix. "My friend!" he shouted. His vocabulary limited his ability to express his emotion, and this served to anger him further. His face reddened. "My friend!" he said again, his voice elevating almost to the pitch of the puffskein's final screech.

Bellatrix stood, wand at her side now, with a mischievous half grin on her face. She had done him a favor. He was simply too young to understand.

At that moment, Walburga arrived at Grimmauld Place, Kreacher beside her and laden with shopping bags, as well as her son Regulus. She was just in time to see Bellatrix's hair suddenly catch fire.

Cygnus looked up from his paper long enough to say, "Amnis Aqualis," and now it was Bellatrix who was enraged, as a stream of water emitted from his wand, extinguishing the flames, and leaving her standing before everyone, a cold, wet mess with half of her hair missing.

Walburga's eyes turned to Sirius in a moment of comprehension. "My son's first display of magic!" she said, her voice unusually soft. She ignored Bellatrix's angry sputters. She picked up her son, who immediately ceased his fit of rage. Moments like this were rare for him, he needed desperately to soak up all the affection and attention his mother had to offer. "I am so proud of you, Sirius," she said.

Sirius smiled and pressed his cheek against hers, dead pet forgotten. "My son, my burning star," his mother said. She even favored him with a kiss on the forehead! Sirius had never experienced such love.

Walburga turned to Kreacher, who still had his arms full with shopping bags and her other son. "Sirius has earned a reward," she said pointedly to him. "Fetch him a broomstick from Diagon Alley. A Cleansweep Six. I won't have the Averys or the Rosiers claiming that their sons have a better broom than mine."

A few short hours later, Sirius was the owner of the best broomstick on the market. His father arrived home to find Sirius and Andromeda racing in Grimmauld Place's hidden backyard. Walburga explained what had happened that afternoon.

"Excellent," he said. He agreed that Sirius ought to have the best broom available. "The Averys' son is older than Sirius and hasn't shown his first sign of magic yet. They will be most displeased to hear this news," he added smugly. He immediately made for the library to write to the other wizarding family.

Outside, Sirius was overjoyed. He had only ever been a passenger on a broom before, when his uncle Alphard had allowed him to sit in front of him while he steered and moved at a slow pace.

He found that flying was quite easy. And this broom was _fast_. As Sirius flew in circles around his cousin, he was discovering just how much he loved speed. He pushed the broom as fast as it could go, until he felt as though he might be launched right off it, then slowed to a halt and landed in the grass. Andromeda landed beside him and they laid on the ground, staring up at the night sky.

Andromeda sighed with happiness. Sirius giggled contentedly and put his arms around her middle. "My friend, Andromy," he said.

It was early in the afternoon as Sirius wandered through the street. Grimmauld Place had its fair share of children, and he was looking for someone to play with.

He was five years old, and was bored with playing inside Number 12, his place of residence. He had escaped the watchful eye of his babysitter, the house elf Kreacher.

Kreacher had been busy reading to Regulus from a large tome, titled Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy. They were on the couch in the library and Regulus had sat, rapt, but Sirius had fidgeted. Whenever Kreacher became fed up with Sirius' inattentiveness, he would snap his fingers and an invisible hand would slap Sirius upside his head. After this had happened a few times, Sirius excused himself to use the toilet, and instead left the house, so he could finally meet the children he had watched from the windows of Number 12.

A few houses down, Sirius spotted a boy around his age, jumping up and down on a circular mat atop stilts. He approached the boy.

"What are you playing?" he asked.

The boy stopped jumping and caught his breath before answering. "This is a trampoline," he said. "Want to jump on it?"

"Yes!" Sirius said excitedly. He climbed up to where the boy was and they bounced in unison. They began circling the edge of the mat, jumping higher and higher until Sirius accidentally jumped right off the contraption. He landed on the ground hard, on his backside.

"Oh my gosh," said the boy, climbing down, "are you okay?"

Sirius was laughing from his place on the ground. "That was fun!" he said. "What other toys do you have?"

"Here, come inside the garage. We have cool toys in here."

Sirius followed the boy into a dimly lit room full of dust and spiders. There was a whole collection of things Sirius had never seen inside Number 12. He stared, open-mouthed. "What is that?" he asked, pointing at an object with metal bars and two large wheels.

"A bicycle," the boy said slowly, looking at him with concern. "You know, you ride it places and do tricks?"

"Is that like a broomstick?" Sirius asked. "I can do tricks on my broomstick."

"You're a bit dim, aren't you?" the boy said. "It's not really a toy though. I wanted to show you my Slip 'N Slide. We can take it outside and play with it if you like."

But something else had already caught Sirius' eye. It was a big wooden box with a seat. Inside the box there were white and black blocks. "What is _that_?"

"It's an organ. You play songs on it. It's my sister's toy," he said dismissively.

Sirius had moved closer to the organ. He plunked one of the white keys. A loud, oscillating sound surprised Sirius so that he jumped backward into the other boy. The sound continued, even though he was no longer touching the organ.

"Is that what it's supposed to do?" he asked, eyes wide. "I haven't broken it, have I?"

The boy laughed. "You haven't broken it, you muppet!" he said. He sat down on the bench and Sirius joined him. "Press another one!"

Sirius obliged. Then he pressed another. Both sounds lingered, combining into one sound. He continued to push more keys until there was only a mishmash of sounds. The boy pressed a pedal Sirius hadn't noticed beneath the organ and all sound ceased immediately.

"This is such fun!" Sirius said.

The two boys laughed and played more keys. They didn't notice a woman enter the garage until the door slammed shut.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" Walburga roared. Both leapt up in surprise. The other boy's hand brushed the lid of the organ and it slammed down on Sirius' hand. He yelped in pain and clutched his throbbing fingers in his unharmed hand. "Come with me this instant!" she said.

"Bye," Sirius said miserably to the boy, and walked to his mother with his head down. He followed her out of the garage.

His mother stormed off the property of Number 17. "Mother," Sirius called, running to try to keep up with her. "Mother wait!"

She stopped abruptly and turned to him, rage morphing her attractive face. "I cannot believe my own son would do such a thing. You have broken my heart, Sirius! This behavior must be corrected. It cannot be tolerated. It is completely unacceptable that you would keep company of such filth!"

"But I don't understand," Sirius said. "What have I done wrong?" He stepped in front of her, searching her face for the love she had held for him. He tried to give her a hug.

She pushed him away and he fell to the ground. "Don't touch me!" she said. "I can't even look at you!" She started for Number 12 once again.

"But Mum," Sirius pleaded, "I love you, Mum. Don't you love me?"

"You are nothing but a means to carry on the blood line!" she screamed, eyes bulging. "I ask of you one thing, ONE THING, to act in a manner which is proper for a pureblood, and you cannot even do that for me!"

They were at the doorstep. Sirius was still nursing his fingers. She ushered him inside.

Walburga was still ranting. "And I find you with Muggle children of filth! You must enjoy upsetting me, Sirius. Do you enjoy upsetting your mother?" Sirius shook his head. "Wait until I tell your father about this!"

She stormed down the hallway and into the kitchen. Sirius' knees gave way and he sat on the floor, dejectedly, his heart aching.

After a few moments, his mother returned, with his father in tow. "Sirius, your mother has informed me of what happened," Orion said. "I cannot stress enough the importance of adhering to our rules. We have decided that drastic action is necessary. Come with me to the drawing room."

He didn't give Sirius the option to consider disobeying. He levitated Sirius up the steps to the first floor and into the drawing room. Walburga followed closely behind.

Regulus and all three of his cousins were sitting in chairs around the table. With a sweep of his wand, Orion cleared the miscellaneous paperwork from its surface.

"Get on the table," he ordered Sirius. "Lie down."

Sirius did as he was told. If it would make his mother love him again, whatever was happening would be worth it.

Orion pointed his wand at Sirius. "Ictus Cerebrum," he said, and a jolt of electricity coursed through Sirius' brain.

His mind went blank. His whole body was trembling, several pairs of hands were holding his limbs from jerking reflexively. His eyes rolled back into his head.

Orion released the spell, but Sirius' body was still seizing. His cousins were looking appalled, except for Bellatrix, who was watching with an expression akin to hunger.

"Sirius," Orion said somberly, "I am hoping that this will teach you a lesson. You must only associate with our kind. Muggles are not to be trusted. They are an inferior race. However, if your companionship was due to a desire for the organ that it had, I can be understanding of that. We will buy a piano and you may learn to play. Perhaps it will help curb your overactive behavior."

Sirius looked to his mother. "I'm s-s-s-sorry, M-Mum. I'll be a g-g-good boy, I promise."

Walburga turned up her nose and swept from the room.

Sirius' fingers slid smoothly up and down the keys of the grand piano as he played Mozart's Turkish March. It was the summer of 1968 and he was no longer allowed to go outside alone, due to his nature of becoming friendly with every Muggle child he saw. Playing piano was his only release from the confinements of his ancestors' stuffy home. He spent most of his time feeling lonely, not permitted to play games like every other eight-year-old boy. He had been expressly forbidden from such foolishness, which was unbecoming of the heir to a distinguished bloodline.

A few years ago, his parents had hired a young witch to teach him to play piano, but this only lasted a few weeks. On his last lesson, she had fled the room, crying because he had surpassed her skill. Thus, Sirius proved that he didn't need lessons. He learned that music came naturally to him.

He heard a familiar voice coming in from the entrance hall and stopped playing. He shut the lid of the piano with a clunk and raced out the door of the drawing room. His heart leapt in his chest. If it was who he thought it was…

"Uncle Alphard!" he shouted, skipping several steps to the ground floor.

"Sirius!" Alphard greeted. He pulled his nephew in for a hug. "Good to see you, lad!"

Sirius' father, who had been speaking to his cousin before Sirius had interrupted, was watching the interaction with distaste. "Now Alphard, don't be soft on the boy," he said.

"Nonsense!" Alphard said. He turned to Sirius. "I can hardly believe how you've grown since last I saw you!" He ruffled Sirius' hair. "I've got some excellent treasures to show you. Shall we proceed to the drawing room?" He motioned Sirius forward and Sirius was happy to oblige.

They returned to the drawing room and Alphard shut the door. "Now you know the things I bring to you are our secret, right?" he said. Sirius nodded. "Your father wouldn't appreciate you being exposed to Muggle objects. But I know you have a respect for them just as I do." He eyed the piano. "I heard you playing. You are quite good."

Sirius smiled. He knew he played well, but it was nice to hear it from someone he admired.

Alphard opened his bag. "These ought to keep you occupied for a short time." He handed Sirius three books: Ken Kesey's _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_ , Philip K. Dick's _The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch_ , and J. R. R. Tolkien's _The Hobbit_.

Sirius' eyes lit up. "Thanks, Uncle Alphard!" he said. "Mother wants me to read books about our ancestors." He grimaced. "It's so dull."

Alphard chuckled. "Now don't even let little Reggie know you have those books. Your father would hit me with every curse he knew if he found out I gave you those."

"I promise," Sirius said. "I'll go hide them in my room now!"

He passed Regulus on his way up the steps. "What were you and Uncle Alphard doing?" Regulus asked.

"Nothing that was any of your business," Sirius said. "Don't be nosy." He pushed past the smaller boy and continued up to his room.

He shut his door quietly and crawled under his bed to where there was a convenient hole in the cushioning. He stuffed the books inside the hole for safe keeping. He crawled back out and stood up just in time for his door to swing open. It was Regulus.

"Stop following me!" Sirius said. "Do you have any hobbies of your own or must you come sniffing after everything I do?"

"I'm sorry, Sirius!" Regulus said. "I don't want you getting into trouble with Father! I've seen you playing with Muggle things. I'm worried about you. I want to help you!"

Sirius stepped up to Regulus so that they were almost nose to nose. They were just outside the doorway to his room. He felt a rage burning inside him that he didn't know how to control. "I don't need your help!" he shouted. He pushed Regulus.

Regulus tried to keep his balance, but he stumbled backwards and landed, backside first, on the steps. His momentum carried him and he began tumbling down the staircase. He landed with a splat on the next floor landing and there was a CRACK as his head hit the wall.

"REGULUS!" Walburga appeared almost instantly and knelt at Regulus' side. "Oh my baby boy, you're okay, Mummy's here." She pointed her wand at the back of his head. "Episkey," she said, and the wound was healed. Regulus was cringing, tears glistened in his eyes, but Walburga did not scold him as she would have scolded Sirius.

"You're a prat, Regulus!" Sirius shouted from the top of the steps. "You stupid baby." He watched jealously as his mother cradled Regulus' head. "He's all right now. Doesn't _he_ need to toughen up?" Sirius picked up the glass model of the galaxy that his father had bought him and hurled it over the railing and down four floors, where it shattered on the ground below.

"That is ENOUGH, Sirius!" his mother screamed. "Come here this instant!" She stood up and pointed her wand at him.

"No!" Sirius yelled. He began to panic. He weaved back and forth, trying to dodge her wand.

"I have HAD IT with your insolence!" he mother said. She charged up the steps and cornered him. "Ictus Cerebrum!" she screamed.

Sirius immediately fell backwards to the floor. His body thrashed uncontrollably. His wild flailing of limb upset a hat stand and an ugly bust of one of his ancestors. There were several minutes for which he was not aware of the passage of time.

At long last, she lifted the curse. "Correct your behavior," she said coldly. She turned on her heel and walked away. Regulus was still crumpled at the foot of the steps. She passed him without further glance.

"Sirius?" Regulus asked in a small voice. He began ascending the steps. "Sirius… are you okay?"

Sirius forced himself to get up. Tremors were still coursing through his body. He also spared no glance to Regulus. Silently, gingerly, he went to his room, shut the door, and curled up under the covers of his bed.

Sirius was nine years of age when his parents purchased a wand for him. It had a dragon heartstring core, was made of yew, and was twelve inches. Observing his cousins, Andromeda and Narcissa, practicing when they visited during Christmas break, he quickly learned a few simple spells: _Incendio_ , _Lumos_ , and _Accio_.

Andromeda did not mind him watching them practice, and would even give him a few pointers. Narcissa had never particularly wanted anything to do with Sirius. She was frequently irritated at his presence. Whenever Andromeda began helping Sirius, Narcissa would take off in a huff.

"Never you mind her," Andromeda would say to Sirius when this happened. "She has been enjoying the attention of being the youngest in the family to learn spells. I am certain that you and Regulus both will eventually perform spells better than her."

All in all, Sirius was unhappy to see his cousins return to school for the season. It would be nearly seven months before he would see them again.

Cygnus and his side of the family were frequently at Number 12 during school holidays. They did not inherit the family manor, despite the fact that there were enough bedrooms that each of them could have lived there comfortably year-round. Nevertheless, they acted and were treated as though the house was theirs during their stay.

When they returned that summer, Bellatrix began entertaining guests and even having parties in the evenings. Sirius automatically avoided these – they involved snobby young adults professing their disdain for anything Muggle.

As a result, Sirius would stay in his room and practice his Levitation Spell. As he became more comfortable with the spell, he would have fun with it. He particularly enjoyed making Regulus jump and try to snatch his pants out of the air, keeping them just out of reach. He would wait until Regulus was sleeping, then levitate spiders onto his face, until their movement tickled Regulus' face enough for him to wake up, discover their presence, and scream like a little girl.

It was late August when Bellatrix was throwing a 'back to school' cocktail party (she would be starting her seventh year at Hogwarts), that there was a knock on Sirius' bedroom door. It was Andromeda.

"Alright, Sirius?" she said. Sirius nodded. "I thought you might be up here. I wanted to show you something. I've got it in my room downstairs." The floor below his consisted of rooms which were empty during most of the year, but were where Sirius' cousins lived when they stayed over.

Sirius followed her, curious. He liked Andromeda, but he couldn't think of anything she might have that would interest him.

Once they were in her room, Andromeda shut the door. "Now, it is important that you keep this a secret," she said. "I've seen that you enjoy music, and I thought you might appreciate music from a Muggle invention. Uncle Alphard gave this to me. He likes to tinker with these sorts of things so that they function in our world without the use of Muggle electricity."

She tapped her wand on something on her dresser, and the Disillusionment Charm she had used receded. In its place was a cherry wood box. She opened it up and revealed a mechanical object that Sirius couldn't identify. There was a black round object. Beside it was a rod with a needle on the end. "It's called a record player," she explained. She indicated several paper sleeves beside the machine. "You place records on it and it plays music created by Muggle artists. Would you like to hear some of the music?"

Sirius grinned. "I'd love to!" he said. He sat down on her bed.

"I think you'll like this one," she said. "This is a band called Creedence Clearwater Revival. They're from America and this album came out this month. Uncle Alphard picked it up for me when he traveled to the States. The record is called 'Green River'."

She carefully removed the thin black vinyl disk from its sleeve and placed it on the center console. She flipped a switch and the disk began rotating. She lifted the rod and placed the needle gently on the very outermost part of the vinyl's surface. Then she took a seat next to Sirius on the bed, taking the sleeve with her so Sirius could see the track titles. She cast a Soundproofing Spell on the door to ensure no one would overhear them.

The title track started, and it was an upbeat song, with gritty vocals and sounds that reminded Sirius of hot summer days playing in the yard with Regulus and Andromeda. He lay back on her bed and let the music wash over him as the initial side played. It was energetic and yet relaxing. The raw vocals were like nothing Sirius had ever heard. He had never imagined the effect of tone of voice, or that it could evoke such emotion.

Andromeda smiled as she saw the progression of his reactions to the songs. Both were silent until the end of the first side.

"That was fantastic!" Sirius proclaimed, sitting up.

"Wait until you hear side two," Andromeda said with a grin. She flipped the record over.

'Bad Moon Rising' began and Sirius fell backward onto the bed with a sigh, clutching the sleeve to his chest. It was over in an instant, replaced by 'Lodi', which made Sirius' heart ache in the way that living in Number 12 made him feel. The record progressed, continuing its bittersweet feel, with natural, upbeat music and occasionally somber lyrics.

There was some crackling as the record ended. "I didn't know music like that existed," Sirius said softly. "I must hear more. I want to hear all the music there is!"

Andromeda chuckled. "From what I understand, that's quite a bit of music," she said. "Uncle Alphard said that some artists are far more worth enjoying than others. He said that there is something called 'bubblegum pop', and that it is total rubbish. I don't really know the different varieties though, I just know what I like."

Over the next few months, Sirius kept the songs he had heard in his head. Whenever his mother looked down upon him with disappointment he would hum them to himself.

Winter rolled around and his cousins returned for the school holiday. Narcissa was more removed than usual; it seemed she had found a love interest. Andromeda was not fond of Lucius Malfoy, who was a Prefect in her year. Her allusion of Malfoy as a 'pretentious, sycophantic meat puppet' was a source of great amusement to Sirius. He would find any opportunity to ask Narcissa how her 'meat puppet' was doing. Andromeda would elbow him and they would have to stifle their laughter. Narcissa would turn her nose up and leave in a huff.

Bellatrix was well known for having emotions that would turn on a dime. At some point or another, each of his cousins, as well as himself and his brother, had been on the wrong end of her wand. This holiday, however, seemed to have her more on edge than in the past. In the evening on Christmas, she had a group of friends over for drinks.

As per usual, Sirius was up in his room while his cousin had her gathering downstairs. He was listening to a handheld radio that his Uncle Alphard had given him for his tenth birthday. The man had used some spell so that it didn't operate on Muggle batteries and could still receive the Muggle frequencies despite magical interference. The radio was tuned to a rock and roll radio station, currently playing a song he was greatly enjoying, Ramble On, by Led Zeppelin.

He heard his door creak open and he hurriedly switched the radio off and stuffed it under his pillow. Regulus was standing in his doorway.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Sirius said irritably.

"I heard noise," Regulus said. "What were you doing?" His eyes darted to Sirius' pillow where the radio was stashed.

Sirius did some quick thinking. "Why don't we go downstairs and see how Bellatrix's party is coming along. You can ask some of the boys about the Slytherin Quidditch team. You'll be starting at Hogwarts before you know it, and I'm sure they would be interested in speaking to a potential Seeker."

Regulus flushed slightly at the subtle compliment from his brother and acquiesced. Together they made for the basement.

On the last flight of steps, they could hear conversation drifting up.

"– his plan will bring power back to the purebloods," Bellatrix was saying.

"I heard Muggles still burn witches and wizards in some parts of the world!" a voice they didn't recognize insisted.

Sirius and Regulus stepped into the casual dining area. Bellatrix and several wizards were huddled around the dining table, reading a piece of parchment. She looked up when they entered.

"Cousins!" she greeted. "Join us in celebration of a new world leader of wizardkind." She raised her goblet to them. "Rodolphus, fetch them some wine."

One of the wizards conjured two goblets and poured wine for the young boys.

Bellatrix beckoned them forward and showed them the newspaper article they had been reading. The headline read: MUGGLE ATTACKS WIZARDS IN THEIR HOMES; DEATH EATERS RESTORE ORDER. Sirius read the article:

Terror erupted last night at the Carrow house when a Muggle

launched an unprovoked assault on the family. The Muggle,

clearly jealous of the Carrows' magical ability, attempted to

murder the whole family. Fortunately, Death Eaters arrived

upon the scene in time to subdue the Muggle before it caused

unimaginable chaos. A masked savior, one Death Eater was

available for comment, but did not wish to be recognized.

"We're not looking for glory," he said. "We're simply trying

to do what is best for our community. Muggles are becoming

a danger to our kind and we must be wary of them. The events

of tonight are representative of a large scale of recent attacks by

Muggles which the Ministry has tried to keep from public eye.

We are merely a group of average witches and wizards who refuse

to tolerate it any longer. We 'eat' death so you and your family

don't have to live in fear." The Ministry was unavailable for comment.

Bellatrix was looking at him expectantly as he finished the article. "Subdued?" Sirius wondered. "What does that mean? What happened to the Muggle?"

"Who cares?" one of the wizards said. "When food shows up on your table, do you ask how it got there? You don't question good fortune, little boy, you accept it."

"Food on your table?" Sirius said in an incredulous tone. "Are you suggesting that you eat Muggles?"

No one laughed. Regulus was tugging on Sirius' robes. "Let's go," he whispered.

"A thought occurs to me," Bellatrix said loudly, "how your parents have tried to straighten out your childish views. I don't believe they have been taking proper measure. I think it is time to take matters into my own hands. You need to be disabused of this silly notion you have about Muggles. It is unbecoming of a wizard of your status to be so soft when righteous action is required." She advanced on him with her wand extended.

Sirius stood up straight and braced himself. He turned to Regulus. "Go upstairs," he said. "Don't get involved in this."

"No, Regulus, stay," Bellatrix said. " _Crucio_!"

Sirius fell to the floor. Pain exploded in his chest and spread outward to his extremities; his heart was pumping so arrhythmically he thought it might explode. He was screaming, his body was writhing, Bellatrix was laughing, and Regulus was crying.

"Oy!" shouted one of her friends, pointing at Sirius.

Bellatrix let out a shriek of laughter and ended the curse. "I don't believe it!" she shouted, "he's wet himself!" Her friends were laughing. They formed a circle around Sirius. "Now this is a very simple lesson, Sirius," she said. "Do not associate with Muggles. Do not defend their rights. Don't make me teach you again."

Sirius' face was burning red with rage, pain and humiliation. His body still convulsing, he forced himself to stand. "Come on Regulus," he said, grabbing his brother by the sleeve of his robe. Regulus wordlessly followed him out of the basement and up to Sirius' room.

They exchanged no words as Sirius changed into his night clothes. He crawled into his bed.

"Sleep in my bed tonight. Please?" he said to Regulus.

Taken aback, Regulus nodded and climbed in. Sirius had been five and experiencing nightmares the last time he had made such a request. He cozied up next to his brother and closed his eyes.

Sirius spoke up just as Regulus was drifting off. "Promise me Regulus," he said. "Please promise me you'll never be like her. Even if you don't like Muggles. Just don't ever be like Bellatrix."

"I promise I won't," Regulus said, although he couldn't help but worry for his brother's state of mind if he thought it was more important to like Muggles than to stand by his family. Regulus decided he would have to look out for his older brother. Sirius was not going to be able to fit in with normal society.

At last, it seemed, Sirius was eleven. It was the summer of 1971 and he would be going to Hogwarts in a few excruciatingly long months. He was so ready to be free from the prison of Number 12 that he had packed the majority of his school supplies as soon as Kreacher had returned from Diagon Alley with them.

He remained in his room at all costs, with Andromeda when he had the chance. She would cast a Soundproofing charm on the room and they would lie back on his bed, listening to their favorite music. Sirius' current favorite was Led Zeppelin's fourth album, especially the song, When the Levee Breaks. He would play the song as loud as he dared, close his eyes, and let his imagination take him far away.

The Black family was planning a trip to the Quidditch World Cup final this summer. The final teams had recently been determined to be Scotland and the United States. Sirius was thrilled to witness the event, but this was dampened by the fact that his mother had informed him that she would be watching his every move.

The plan was that Orion, Walburga, Cygnus and Bellatrix would each perform Side-Along Apparition with Andromeda, Narcissa, Sirius and Regulus. They would stay only the afternoon and evening. Sirius had been eager for the opportunity to sleep in a cot outside, but Walburga flatly refused to stay in a tent, regardless of how lavish. "I will not sleep on the ground like a common Muggle!" she had said.

Sirius and Regulus were filled with continually building energy as the day drew nearer. They tossed a Quaffle around on their broomsticks every evening and discussed Quidditch statistics every night at dinner.

The day of the Cup arrived, warm and dewy. In the backyard of Number 12, Sirius took to the skies again on his broomstick. He was ascending and closed his eyes, enjoying the wind whipping his face and blowing his hair back. He looked down and saw an ant sized version of Andromeda, carrying her broom over her shoulder. She mounted it and flew up to meet him.

"Are you as thrilled as I am?" she said, doing a loop around him and grinning.

Sirius looked at her innocently. "What would give you that idea?" he said. He shot downward in a dive and leapt off his broom ten feet from the ground, doing a tuck and roll to land safely. Regulus, who was just coming outside, was taken by surprise when Sirius launched himself at him, tackling him to the ground playfully.

"Sirius, what are you – get off!" The two boys rolled on the ground. Sirius was laughing and trying to pin him down, Regulus was sputtering indignantly. Andromeda watched with amusement as Sirius succeeded and sat on Regulus' back.

By two in the afternoon, her children's hyperactivity was too much for Walburga to bear and she decided it was time to leave. The large group Apparated; Cygnus took Narcissa, Bellatrix took Andromeda, Walburga took Regulus and Orion took Sirius.

They arrived at the ticket station and immediately Sirius tried to step away from his father, but Orion gripped his shoulder painfully tight. "You will stay by us," he ordered. "There will be no wandering off."

They checked in and made way to the family friends. The Lestranges, the Averys, and the Rosiers were just a few. Sirius' father was still gripping him by the shoulder, steering him to each family in turn so they could make their presence known. Orion was boasting of his superior tickets – they would be seated in the top box. Sirius was instructed to greet all of the family friends and feign interest in their small talk.

"Sirius will be starting his first year at Hogwarts this fall," Walburga was taking great pride in telling them. "He will surely be selected for the Slytherin Quidditch team by his second year. He is an excellent flier."

Sirius knew well enough that the compliment was not meant for his benefit. His achievements were only a means for his mother to imply superiority over her peers. He gazed longingly at his surroundings and with jealousy at the children his age who were socializing free of their parents. He watched the salesmen Apparating from group to group, unloading their merchandise. He tuned out the conversation around him.

Rows upon rows of tents held witches and wizards of every nationality. He saw a little German girl in a frock playing with a golden glowing orb. Further down, there was a messy haired boy his age casually tossing Dungbombs into tents at random. Nearby, there were boys a few years older than him, drinking a foul-smelling liquid from goblets.

"Sirius!" His mother was commanding his attention. "Be attentive!" she said in an undertone to him. To the group she said, "We must go to our seats now. I cannot tolerate standing amongst this filth any longer." She waved an arm at the mass of tents behind them. She steered Sirius away and the rest of the family followed. "You must be involved in conversations!" she hissed. "Do not embarrass me in front of our friends again!"

"May I be excused to use the toilet?" he asked irritably, spotting a chain of lavatories nearby.

"Very well, but you are to report to the top box immediately after!" she said, casting a wary eye at the class of people surrounding them. She turned and headed for the stadium. The others did so as well, though Bellatrix narrowed her eyes, looking at him suspiciously.

Clinging at last to his momentary freedom, Sirius walked down rows of tents, looking for anyone and anything that caught his eye.

An old man wearing slippers was conjuring a hot tub in front of his tent. A family was cooking breakfast over a fire. A young boy dressed expertly in Muggle clothes was playing a flute.

Sirius sat in front of the boy playing the flute and observed him closely. Feeling self-conscious, the boy cheeks tinged pink and he stopped. "Why are you watching me?" he asked.

"I've never seen anyone play that instrument before," Sirius said. "I like the sound of it. Go on, keep playing."

The boy raised his eyebrows. "Well I can't very well play with you staring at me."

"I'll close my eyes then." Sirius put his hands over his eyes, but peered through when he didn't hear the boy playing again.

The boy was looking at him incredulously. "You're an odd one," he said. "You're a complete stranger, don't you think it's weird for you to ask me to play?"

"No," Sirius said. Then he held out his hand. "My name is Sirius. And you?"

The boy half smiled, then returned the hand shake. "Remus," he said.

"There, now we're not strangers," Sirius said. "Now you can play!"

Remus laughed. "Okay, I suppose," he said. He took a deep breath.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" Heads turned. It was his mother, standing at one end of the row of tents.

Sirius sighed and gave Remus an apologetic look. "Brace yourself. She is building herself up to unleash the wrath of Cthulhu upon me."

"HOW DARE YOU!" She stormed down to the tent, her rage crackling like electricity. Remus averted his eyes. "How dare you, after I specifically told you to come up to the top box, mingle down here with nasty common folk?" She eyed Remus' tent, and Sirius could see her mentally noting that it was cheaper than her standards would deem acceptable.

"I've only made a friend, Mother," Sirius said stubbornly. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"Once again, you are befriending filthy Muggles and Half-breeds!" she said, pointing a shaking finger at Remus. Remus' face turned bright red and he dropped his gaze to the ground.

Sirius felt his own face heating up with anger. "How do you presume to know what his blood status is? And why does it matter? Why must I only make friends with those whom you see fit?"

"ENOUGH!" she roared. "You are no longer permitted to watch the World Cup. You are going home this instant!"

"But Mother –"

It was too late. She grabbed his shoulder and Apparated him back to Grimmauld Place. "KREACHER!"

Kreacher appeared before them, bowing.

"See to it that he is punished," she said, pushing Sirius toward the house elf. To Sirius she said, "You have embarrassed me in front of all our friends! Selfish boy! You will not leave this house until you start school!" She turned in a half circle and Apparated back to the World Cup.

"He has been a nasty boy," said Kreacher to Sirius, with a grin. "Kreacher will make sure he gets the punishment he deserves for his mistreatment of my Mistress. He is ungrateful of everything my Mistress has done for him."

Sirius balled his hands into fists. "This whole family is stupid!" he shouted. There was no outlet for his frustration. "I haven't done anything wrong!" He swept past Kreacher and up to his room, his heavy footfalls penetrating the perpetual deadened silence of Grimmauld Place. September 1st could not come soon enough.


End file.
